mergemaster improvement (auto-update for not modified files)

[c0ldbyte]

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On Tue, 3 May 2005, Denis Peplin wrote:

> Hello!
>
> The mergemaster with this is test patch (attached)
> can auto-update files that was not modified.
>
> It do this by compairing each file with it's CVS
> copy. If file was not modified, it can be rewritten.
>
> This dramatically redices amount of files that require
> admin's attention.
>
> There is one major problem here:
> This can be done in single-user mode only if your
> have local CVS repository, because if local CVS is
> not exist, anoncvs is used.
>
> Possible solutions:
> 1. Pre-checkout files in pre-buildworld mode.
> 2. Setup CVSup collection for subset of required files
> (is it possible?), and then keep this small collection
> up-to-date locally.
> 3. Store checksum for every config file installed,
> then compare with this checksum on updating.
>
> BTW, tracking checksums can be very useful for
> base system too, because checksums can help to do
> clean updates (with removal of old files that was not
> overwritten).
>

IMHO this isnt something that should be included with mergemaster due
to the following things. 1). It should upgrade a file if the files cvs
id doesnt match and provide you with a merge option, which it allready
does both of those as it is now. 2). Only upgrading files that havent
been changed is going to result in a positive false situation where
the user actually thinks that his/her system has been fully upgraded
and when in fact it hasnt, leaving added lines to files out where they
should have been merged in. Preferably also IMHO this patch to
mergemaster should be or would be better off renamed to another
project and/or an option for people to compile into the system if they
wish to have that kind of functionality. E.g: System/Addon for world
through the use of a set variable in /etc/make.conf.local or something
similiar.

But with all due respect, This just seems like another case of a
"Bike Shed" incident.

Best regards to humor.
 		--c0ldbyte

- -- 

( When in doubt, use brute force. -- Ken Thompson 1998 )
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